2008 Woodie Awards
WEB EXCLUSIVE: SIUE band camps keep student musicians' skills sharp
Kenneth Long
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: A&E
Though the school year has ended for high school trumpet player Joe Kloss of Staunton, he continues to sharpen his skills outside of his high school at SIUE's band camp, one of many music camps held at SIUE during the summer.
Kloss has attended SIUE's band camp for over five years, led by director and music professor Daryl Coan.
"Summer is when most musicians don't practice as much as they should," Kloss said. "(The camp) helps you get back on track."
Band camp took place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Coan said most of the campers were from the area, but some hailed from as far as Indiana.
"Somehow we end up with a good balance of instruments," Coan said. "It balances out to have a good sound."
Last week's camp consisted of just over 20 members wielding a variety of instruments including saxophones, clarinets, flutes, an oboe and other disciplines of sound.
Coan said the entourage of musicians works well together, despite having only a week to hone their group sound.
"I don't have to force their sound," Coan said. "They've made friends, and they want to perform well together."
Senior music performance and business major Adrian Lepique of St. Charles, Mo. has assisted Coan in running the camp for two years. Lepique said he became involved with the camp through Coan.
"It's fun working with the kids," Lepique said. "I enjoy seeing them learn and progress and being a part of that process."
Coan said a majority of the time spent at the camp focuses on group work as a whole band, but some time is spent where campers can work on parts of music individually, creating an impromptu anthology of about five or six different pieces of music.
One of the recurring themes of SIUE's band camp is the inclusion of pieces based on a film's musical themes, Coan said.
"Movies have a genre of music (the campers) know," Coan said. "They're usually familiar with the music before they play it."
Kloss has attended SIUE's band camp for over five years, led by director and music professor Daryl Coan.
"Summer is when most musicians don't practice as much as they should," Kloss said. "(The camp) helps you get back on track."
Band camp took place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Coan said most of the campers were from the area, but some hailed from as far as Indiana.
"Somehow we end up with a good balance of instruments," Coan said. "It balances out to have a good sound."
Last week's camp consisted of just over 20 members wielding a variety of instruments including saxophones, clarinets, flutes, an oboe and other disciplines of sound.
Coan said the entourage of musicians works well together, despite having only a week to hone their group sound.
"I don't have to force their sound," Coan said. "They've made friends, and they want to perform well together."
Senior music performance and business major Adrian Lepique of St. Charles, Mo. has assisted Coan in running the camp for two years. Lepique said he became involved with the camp through Coan.
"It's fun working with the kids," Lepique said. "I enjoy seeing them learn and progress and being a part of that process."
Coan said a majority of the time spent at the camp focuses on group work as a whole band, but some time is spent where campers can work on parts of music individually, creating an impromptu anthology of about five or six different pieces of music.
One of the recurring themes of SIUE's band camp is the inclusion of pieces based on a film's musical themes, Coan said.
"Movies have a genre of music (the campers) know," Coan said. "They're usually familiar with the music before they play it."
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